Arcadio Del Valle says walking the New York Fashion Week catwalk was a 'surreal' experience

"In my whole life, I had never done anything like that.

"My sister was in the front row cheering me on and I was so proud to have her support. It was one of my best moments."

Arcadio, from Boston, Massachusetts, has walked in three major runway shows since his New York Fashion Week debut, for VOLARE and another plus-sized fashion label Brandon Kyle, which he says has transformed his confidence.

"I wasn't confident. It wasn't the case until about three years ago.

"Growing up in a world where the media urges you to look a certain way, to be a certain weight and to fit into a mold, it becomes engraved in your head.